There are many individuals, organizations and communities—both in the US and abroad—who are working for social transformation from a basis in compassionate spirituality and honoring the cultural traditions and histories of people of color. Here are a list of some of the groups and initiatives that excite us most.
The mission of Stone Circles is to sustain activists and strengthen the work of justice through spiritual practice and principles. Link
The official website of the Government of Tibet in Exile has extensive information on Tibetan Buddhism. Link
urbanPEACE bridges the practice of spirit and the promise of social transformation by infusing meaningful meditation and awareness practices adapted from traditional wisdom teachings into a range of under-served, transcultural, widely diversified, and sometimes chaotic, or “urban” settings. Link
Sojourners, Link, is a Christian ministry whose mission is to proclaim and practice the biblical call to integrate spiritual renewal and social justice. Their work includes publishing a magazine and sponsoring a variety of public programs to bring people together across denominational lines for compassionate social change organizing.
The National Conference for Community and Justice, founded in 1927 as the National Conference of Christians and Jews, is a human relations organization dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry and racism in America. NCCJ promotes understanding and respect among all races, religions and cultures through advocacy, conflict resolution and education. Link
The Beloved Community Center of Greensboro Inc strives to steer our city away from chaos and toward a new community based on economic and racial justice using a Village Concept where all family, social, political, religious, educational and economic relations affirm the dignity, worth and potential of everyone. Link
The Center for the Healing of Racism’s mission is to serve as a catalyst for the healing of racism through the education and empowerment of individuals. Link
The Congress of Racial Equality is a civil rights group that aims to bring about equality for all people regardless of race, creed, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or ethnic background. In pursuing its aim, CORE seeks to identify and expose acts of discrimination in the public and private sectors of society. The national headquarters of CORE is located in New York City. Link
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the USA’s oldest and largest anti-discrimination membership organization. It employs litigation, mobilization and coalition to achieve its goals and has a long and illustrious history of advocating for the expansion of democracy in America. Link
Change is a project of the Tides Center with a mission of promoting democratic ideals through the removal of barriers that sustain racial and ethnic disparities. Link
The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond
This is a multi-racial anti-racist network of veteran organizers and educators dedicated to building a movement for justice by ending racism and other forms of institutionalized oppression. Link
James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership, Detroit.
The organization’s activities are designed to help community activists develop themselves into visionary leaders and critical thinkers. Link
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference With Martin Luther King, Jr at its helm, and many others such as Andrew Young, Ralph Abernathy and C.T. Vivian among its officers, SCLC was one of the major organizations of the southern freedom movement. It continues to work toward human rights in the United States and internationally. Link
Environmental Justice/ Environmental racism
The African American Environmental Association is dedicated to protecting the environment, enhancing the human ecology, and working to ensure the efficient use of natural resources. It provides an opportunity for minorities to participate in the environmental movement. The organization resolves environmental racism and injustice issues through the application of practical environmental solutions. Link
The Alternative for Community and Environment is based in Roxbury, Massachusetts and works in partnership with low income communities and communities of color to achieve environmental justice. Link
The Asian Pacific Environmental Network seeks to empower low-income Asian Pacific Islander communities to achieve environmental and social justice. Link
Xavier University of Louisiana, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice works for universal protection from nuclear testing, extraction, production, and disposal of toxic wastes, poisons, and nuclear testing that threaten the fundamental right to clean air, land, water and food. The center has developed and embraced a model for community partnership that is called “communiversity.” The model emphasizes a collaborative management or partnership between universities and communities. Link
The Environmental Justice Foundation trains, equips and supports communities and organizations that are directly affected by environmental abuses.
The Indigenous Environmental Network is an alliance of grassroots indigenous peoples whose mission is to protect the sacredness of mother earth from contamination and exploitation by strengthening, maintaining and respecting the traditional teachings and natural laws. Link
The Green Belt Movement is a grassroots non-governmental organization based in Kenya that focuses on environmental conservation, community development and capacity building. The goal is to create a society of people who consciously work for the improvement of their environment, and a greener, cleaner Kenya. Link
Conflict Resolution and Peace
The Conflict Center (Denver). The Conflict Center teaches communication skills, consequences, negotiation, anger management classes, conflict management, and assertiveness. Participants learn to handle daily hassles and conflict effectively, to take concepts and ideas into the real world and translate them into productive, successful, nonviolent actions and behaviors. Link
The American Friends Service Committee is an organization that works on issues of peace and justice based on the Quaker religious tradition. Link
The Boston Research Center for the 21st Century (changed its name to The Ikeda Center in 2009) is an international peace institute that envisions a worldwide network of global citizens developing cultures of peace through dialogue and understanding. We believe that the best hope for the realization of this vision is through the active cultivation of an inclusive sense of community, locally and globally. Link
Since 1993, The Center has been engaging diverse scholars, activists, and social innovators in the search for the ideas and solutions that will assist in the peaceful evolution of humanity.
The Fellowship of Reconciliation is an interfaith organization that is committed to active nonviolence as a personally transforming way of life and as well as a means of radical social change. Link
Peace Brigade International is non-governmental organization (NGO) which protects human rights and promotes nonviolent transformation of conflicts. Link
Peace Jam provides an opportunity for today’s youth to have personal contact with Nobel Prize winners. The organization creates a meaningful forum in which young people can study the lives of recognized peacemakers and then dialogue about them and practice their own fresh approaches. Link
SpiritHouse (Atlanta) The SpiritHouse Project uses the arts, research, education, action, and spirituality to bring diverse peoples together to work for racial, economic, and social justice, as well as for spiritual maturity. Link
The Boston Healing Landscape Project focuses on intersections of culture, religious worldviews, and different understandings of illness and healing in the African Diaspora communities of Boston. Link
The Center for Spirituality and Healing is located at the University of Minnesota and is a nationally recognized leader in integrative medicine, bringing together biomedical, complementary, cross-cultural and spiritual care. Link
The Center for Traditional Medicine: Traditional Arts and Sciences and Fourth World Studies supports research, education and clinical treatment that draws from universal knowledge and traditional systems of indigenous healing. Link
The Association for the Promotion of Traditional Medicine promotes and protects traditional medicine and indigenous science in Africa. PROMETRA also works to increase dialogue among western physicians and traditionally trained healers. Link
AZTREC, the Association of Zimbabwe Traditional Environmental Conservationists, is a coalition of village chiefs, spirit mediums and war veterans involved in the conservation of ecological resources in Zimbabwe. Link
CECIK, the Center for Cosmo-vision and Indigenous Knowledge in Ghana, works toward sustainable rural community development from the perspective of indigenous world views. Link
The Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Traditions in India is a non-governmental organization dedicated to revitalizing India’s rich and diverse indigenous health traditions.
The Indigenous Knowledge Program Initiative of the World Bank (Africa Region)
aims move indigenous/traditional knowledge into mainstream development activities and to optimize the benefits of development assistance to the poor. Link
World Council of Elders
This is a global educational organization dedicated to preserving and sharing traditional indigenous wisdom toward global healing and peace. Link